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NCAA Leadership Team

At the NCAA’s national office in Indianapolis, more than 500 staff members work under the leadership of a team of executives.

The Senior Management Team is the group of closest advisors at the national office to President Mark Emmert. This group ensures accountability in management and operations as part of a dynamic and inclusive leadership structure. They also provide counsel to key governance leaders within the NCAA membership.

The President’s Cabinet includes the Senior Management Team and other vice presidents. The Cabinet meets monthly to report important developments and provide input on issues facing the Association. The Cabinet’s charge is to share information between departments and member schools to enhance the service and effectiveness of national office staff.

Senior Management Team:

Katrice A. AlbertExecutive Vice President of Inclusion and Human Resources

Katrice A. Albert is the NCAA’s executive vice president of inclusion and human resources. In this role, she leads efforts to enhance diversity, inclusion, leadership development, and education and community engagement. Additionally, she is responsible for leading national office employee relations, performance management, professional development, and compensation and benefits programs. Before joining the NCAA, she served in executive capacities with the University of Minnesota System from 2013 to 2017, and at Louisiana State University from 2005 to 2013. She led diversity, inclusion and equity strategies in both positions.

Albert frequently writes, speaks and consults on issues of intercultural competence, educational and workforce diversity, gender and dynamics of power, the complexities of diverse populations, educational access, community-university partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and the application of psychological knowledge to ethnic minorities and other underserved populations. Also, she serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, and her works have been published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and the Journal of Counseling and Development. Albert also is the co-editor of two volumes: “Trayvon Martin, Race, and American Justice: Writing Wrong” and “Racial Battle Fatigue in Higher Education: Exposing the Myth of Post-Racial America.”

Albert earned a doctoral degree in counseling psychology at Auburn University and completed her clinical internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi and graduated magna cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Joni ComstockSenior Vice President of Championships

Joni Comstock joined the NCAA national office in September 2006 and is the senior vice president of championships and senior woman administrator. Her duties include oversight of 84 NCAA championships, media coordination and statistics, playing rules, ticket operations and marketing, merchandise and licensing and social and digital media. Before coming to the NCAA, Comstock was a Division I athletics director at American University and at the University of North Carolina Asheville. She also has held senior athletics leadership roles at Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Comstock received her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education at Eastern Illinois University; a master’s degree in education and sports management from Illinois State University; and a doctorate in administration of higher education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dan GavittSenior Vice President of Basketball

Dan Gavitt joined the NCAA staff as vice president of men’s basketball in August 2012 after spending the previous seven years as the associate commissioner for men’s basketball at the Big East Conference. In his current role, Gavitt oversees the day-to-day operations of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship as well as the NCAA’s 11-year, $10.6-billion contracts with broadcast partners CBS and Turner Broadcasting. He also supervises the Postseason NIT and NCAA Divisions II and III Men’s Basketball Championships, and serves as the staff’s day-to-day contact to the Division I men’s basketball committee and the men’s basketball oversight committee.

Prior to his service at the Big East, Gavitt was director of athletics and recreation at Bryant University, which has one of the largest Division II athletics departments in the country. Earlier in his career, Gavitt ran his own sports marketing and event management firm, Craigville Sports Associates, Inc., served as an assistant basketball coach at Providence College and ran the Rick Barnes basketball camp.

Gavitt holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and a Master of Business Administration from Providence College in Providence, R.I. Gavitt is a member of both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Brian HainlineSenior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

As the NCAA’s first chief medical officer, Brian Hainline oversees the NCAA Sport Science Institute, a national center whose mission is to promote and develop safety, excellence and wellness in college student-athletes, and to foster lifelong physical and mental development. The NCAA Sport Science Institute works collaboratively with member schools and centers of excellence across the United States.

For more than 20 years, Hainline has been involved in sports medicine, including serving as chief medical officer of both the U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the U.S. Tennis Association. He is co-author of Drugs and the Athlete, and played a pivotal part in the rollout of drug testing and education worldwide. He is currently vice chair of the American Academy of Neurology’s Sports Neurology Section. He is also a clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Hainline received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from the University of Chicago.

Kathleen McNeelySenior Vice President of Administration

Kathleen McNeely is the NCAA senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer and is responsible for all financial activity, facility operations and information technology.

McNeely oversees administrative services — which is committed to responsible and ethical stewardship of the Association’s information — as well as physical, technical and fiscal assets. The administrative services group dedicates itself to provide the highest quality of service and support for an environment conducive to excellence and change. Her main areas of responsibility include finance and accounting, information technology, operations, internal audit, business performance management, purchasing and procurement, travel, risk management and insurance.

McNeely joined the NCAA in 2011 from Indiana University where she most recently served as the associate vice president and executive director of financial management services. McNeely spent 29 years at Indiana in various financial administrative positions. While at Indiana, McNeely was on the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ University Research Council and Accounting Principles Council. She is the 2003 recipient of the organization’s Daniel D. Robinson award, which recognizes individual excellence and leadership in the advancement of college and university accounting and reporting. In 2011, McNeely received the Indiana University Distinguished Service Medal.

McNeely holds a bachelor’s of science in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in finance from Indiana.

As executive vice president of law, policy & governance and chief legal officer at the NCAA, Donald M. Remy serves as a key legal, policy and strategic advisor to the NCAA president, members of the senior management group, and the divisional governance cabinets, committees and boards. Remy manages and oversees the NCAA’s staff that supports the legal, government relations, governance, infractions, research and sport science programs. Further, he specifically is responsible for guiding an efficient governance structure for Divisions I, II and III, assuring proper adjudication of infractions and assessing the NCAA’s immediate and long-term legal challenges and needs. Remy guides key litigation and contract negotiations while building and maintaining productive relationships with local and national policymakers. He is involved in crafting and advocating appropriate policy positions on various issues including academics, amateurism, athletics competition and health and safety while ensuring his reporting departments are servicing and supporting student-athletes, the NCAA and member institutions.

Before joining the NCAA, he was a partner at Latham & Watkins and chair of a global practice group, representing both individuals and corporate clients in sophisticated investigations and proceedings involving compliance with international business statutes. In addition, he litigated complex civil lawsuits, advised on crisis management and assisted companies in disputes involving contracts with the federal government. Remy also held high-level positions in the government and corporate environment, including deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice; assistant to the general counsel of the U.S. Army; law clerk to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and senior vice president, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer at Fannie Mae. He developed defense and justice positions for the U.S. Presidential Transition Team. He also spent many years volunteering as an Amateur Athletic Union basketball coach in the Washington, D.C. area and serving on boards of many non-profit organizations.

The Louisiana native has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Louisiana State University, where he graduated with honors and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He received a juris doctorate from the Howard University School of Law, where he graduated top of his class.

Cari Van SenusChief of Staff

Cari Van Senus has served as chief of staff for the NCAA since 2014, after a two-year assignment as the director of executive affairs. She works directly with President Emmert on key Association issues, communication strategy and initiatives internal to the national office. Van Senus directs the president’s office staff and coordinates senior staff activity and meetings. She is also the lead on the NCAA’s partnership with the White House’s “It’s on Us” campaign, focused on sexual assault prevention.

Van Senus came to the NCAA in 2011 as the director of educational programs, in which she conducted program assessment and evaluation, developed partnerships with other higher education organizations and directed the NCAA Chancellors and Presidents Program for first-time chancellors and presidents.

Before coming to the NCAA, Van Senus was a tenured associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During her tenure at UNLV, she authored and co-authored numerous articles on contexts to support teacher learning and teacher education policy and practice. She also co-edited the Journal of Teacher Education and a book on standards for teacher educators. Van Senus taught high school Spanish in Illinois early in her career.

Van Senus earned her bachelor’s degree in teaching, master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and doctoral degree in education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Stan WilcoxExecutive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

As executive vice president of regulatory affairs, Stan Wilcox oversees all NCAA regulatory functions, including academic and membership affairs, the NCAA Eligibility Center and enforcement. Wilcox provides strategic direction while continuing to foster strong relationships with NCAA colleges and universities, ensuring regulatory staffs within the national office work efficiently and collaboratively to best serve NCAA members.

Before joining the NCAA staff in October 2018, Wilcox oversaw the strategic planning and management of 20 varsity sports with more than 500 student-athletes at Florida State, where he was hired in 2013 as director of athletics and was promoted to vice president in 2016. Before his time at Florida State, he served in senior positions at Duke, Notre Dame and the Big East Conference.

Wilcox has held several national leadership positions, including membership on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee and LEAD1 board of trustees. He helped to create the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association and subsequently served as a member of its board. From 2003 to 2005, he was president of the Black Coaches Association.

A former men’s basketball player at Notre Dame, Wilcox helped lead the Fighting Irish to a 1978 NCAA Men’s Final Four appearance and four NCAA tournament berths. He went on to graduate from Notre Dame in 1981 with a degree in economics before earning a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1988.

Bob WilliamsSenior Vice President of Communications

As senior vice president of communications at the NCAA national office, Bob Williams oversees the Association’s communications efforts through two units: external affairs and strategic communications. He is also the Association’s primary media spokesperson. Williams advises the NCAA president and senior management on policies that support the Association’s core values, including scholarship, student-athlete well-being, diversity and the promotion of athletic participation. He leads a team that advocates those policies to NCAA members, nearly a half-million student-athletes and their families, and the public.

Williams joined the NCAA in February 2005 after more than 25 years of service with the U.S. Air Force, where he managed strategic and crisis communication activities in a number of capacities. Most recently, he oversaw all public affairs efforts for Air Combat Command – which is made up of 170,000 people and provides combat air forces for military operations around the world – at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

He has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Buffalo State, State University of New York, and a master’s degree in mass communication and public relations from Boston University.

President's Cabinet:

Scott BearbyVice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel

Scott Bearby became the vice president of legal affairs and general counsel in August 2016 after serving in various legal positions at the national office since January 1999. Bearby will continue his day-to-day management of the office of legal affairs and its staff as vice president of legal affairs and general counsel. The office of legal affairs handles numerous legal responsibilities for the Association including managing litigation involving the national office and supporting its governance and sport committees, 90 championships, and national office staff in assisting the membership and student-athletes.

Before joining the NCAA, Bearby spent six years in private practice. A native of Hammond, Ind., Bearby earned his bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Notre Dame, and his law degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Jon DuncanVice President of Enforcement

Jon Duncan became the vice president of enforcement in March 2014 after serving in an interim role since March 2013. Before coming to the NCAA, he was a partner at the Kansas City, Missouri-based law firm of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, where he had practiced since 2003. Previously, he spent five years at another Kansas City firm, Husch Blackwell, where education and sports were the core of his work. He first represented the NCAA in litigation in 1998, and since then has served as a legal advisor for the NCAA and offered legal counsel to its committees, working groups and task forces. Duncan attended William Jewell College – now part of Division II – and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1995, where he was a published member of the Kansas Law Review.

Dan DutcherVice President of Division III

Dan Dutcher serves as chief staff liaison to the Division III Presidents Council and Division III Management Council and oversees a host of governance committees in Division III. He started his NCAA career as a legislative assistant in 1986 and served as director of legislative services from 1991 until January 1996. Before joining the NCAA, he practiced general law in Maine and has served on the parks board, parks foundation, ethics board, planning commission and various other community activities. Dutcher earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1981 and a juris doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1984.

Terri Steeb GronauVice President of Division II

Terri Steeb Gronau was named vice president of Division II in July 2013. She previously served as director of Division II. Her responsibilities include serving as the chief liaison to the Division II governance bodies and membership. As the director of Division II, she led strategic planning efforts, established and implemented priorities and oversaw the budget. She joined the NCAA as a post-graduate intern and advanced through the national office, gathering experience on rules interpretations, budget management, legislation and strategic thinking. Gronau competed in volleyball while a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She earned her master’s degree at Ohio University.

Lynn HolzmanVice President of Women's Basketball

Lynn Holzman returned to the NCAA in February 2018 as the vice president of women’s basketball. She is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operations and management of women’s basketball in Divisions I, II and III. She serves as the primary liaison to the women’s basketball committees and provides strategic oversight of the site-selection process for each championship. In 2014, Holzman was appointed commissioner of the West Coast Conference after serving in various leadership roles within the conference office, including executive senior associate commissioner/chief operating officer and senior associate commissioner of governance and administration. Before her conference office tenure, she worked at the NCAA national office for 16 years, last serving as a director of academic and membership affairs.

In 2017, Holzman was named the president-elect of Women Leaders in College Sports. She also has served in various capacities for the San Jose Sports Authority, National Association for Athletics Compliance, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics.

Holzman received a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in sports administration from North Carolina and a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University.

Kevin LennonVice President of Division I

Kevin Lennon, who has nearly 30 years of experience at the NCAA, began his role as vice president of Division I in April 2015. He serves as the chief liaison to the Division I governance bodies and membership. In 1998, he was named vice president of academic and membership affairs. Before joining the NCAA, Lennon was the assistant commissioner at the Southwestern Athletic Conference and worked at the University of Notre Dame. Lennon holds degrees from Harvard University and Ohio University.

Felicia MartinVice President of the Eligibility Center

Felicia Martin became the vice president of the Eligibility Center in February 2017. Martin is responsible for the Eligibility Center’s strategic direction and leads a staff that each year certifies academics and amateurism credentials for approximately 100,000 Divisions I and II prospective college athletes. Before coming to the NCAA, Martin was the senior associate director of athletics for academics, student services and sports administration at Texas Tech University. She joined the Texas Tech athletics staff in June 1999 as a counseling specialist for the tutorial and mentor program. Martin also served as the assistant executive director at the D1A Athletic Directors’ Association, which now is known as the LEAD1 Association.

Martin has been a long-standing member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) and is the 2017-18 past president. Currently, Martin represents the NCAA on the NACDA Executive Committee as an At-Large Representative. In addition, she is a member of Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA). Martin is a graduate of the NCAA Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute. She has facilitated several student development leadership conferences and is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker. A native of Bay Springs, Mississippi, Martin earned her bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and master’s degree in counselor education from Mississippi State University.

Dave SchnaseVice President of Academic and Membership Affairs

David Schnase was named vice president of academic and membership affairs in September 2015. Schanse joined the NCAA staff in 1995 and most recently served as a managing director of academic and membership affairs, overseeing all compliance functions. In his current role, he oversees the work of an academic and membership affairs staff that serves all three NCAA divisions in a number of regulatory areas, including rules compliance, interpretation and academics. During the 2010 academic year, he participated as an American Council on Education Fellow – the first NCAA staff member chosen for the prestigious professional experience. Schnase earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and his master’s and law degrees from the University of Kansas.